Martha

need: 1 petal scroll 1200g

Some say she descended from ancient dominance-lords, working in conjunction with the deities to conquer the land. Others say she descended from the deities themselves, taking the form of a veteran warrior in order to spread the law of dominance. However, one thing is for sure, the young snapper, Martha, was parentless, discovered first in the sweeping ruins of the Plague territory. She was first adopted into a small clan within the Plague boundaries. As she grew into an adult, she began to take interest in the ways of dominance and practiced battle techniques within the lair. Still, Martha felt lost in her own world, wanting more than she had, and needing more than she wanted. In her need, she waved a wing goodbye to her clanmates, thanking them for their generosity, and struck out on her own, traveling through the wyrmwood, battling stray creatures, until she came upon another den.

The clan welcomed her, providing a den for her to stay and food to satiate her hunger. During her stay, she trained more and became friends with many of the other dragons, especially a quirky noodle, Crabcake. Crabcake lent her knowledge from his fighting days, telling stories of his former clan, a clan whose law was built on the principles of dominance and conflict. Martha was fascinated with his experiences, often times trailing him around the lair, peppering him with questions.

Crabcake grew rather fond of Martha over the weeks, spending more and more time together. She grew fond of him too, but as she knew all friendships, this one had to end too. It was a cloudcovered day when she finally finished packing her travel packs and headed out of the lair. Crabcake bid her farewell, and while he was sad to see her go, he understood the snapper's instincts, and wished for her to find a home.

She had made a days travel when it began to rain, muddling the scents of her surroundings and leaving her effectively helpless in the vast territory. Finding a mutated, hollowed tree to shelter in, she waited for the rain to cease, passing time by writing about her journey in a yellowed moleskin she found in her last clan.

"I've made half a day's travel from the lair of Crabcake. It feels different this time than any other, leaving a clan. I hope I will lose the feeling soon; I can only imagine that Crabcake feels just as disoriented. He did say he understood, though, so I must continue, for if he understands, then I must be right in my departure.

The rain started in waves no less than three quarters of an hour ago, each wave coming down faster than the last. I was caught in the first wave before I took shelter in a hollowed tree stump. The inside is warped and makes for a comfortable den if I adjust my position as so.

Five minutes ago, a harsh wail arose from the left of the tree, I think. I'm not sure what it is yet, but before the next rain wave, in the short time of dry, I will go have a look. Hopefully, the creature is wounded, so the rain shall not give it an advantage, should it attack. Maybe it is one of those unicorn mages; it would be a relatively easy fight, so I do not waste my energy that should be spent on travel. Ah, the rain has paused for a moment, I will go out now~"

Martha charged from the stump, heading down a small slope to the left and racing into the mutated forest in search of the sound. She didn't have to run long before she found the source. An ash colored tundra with pale yellow wings was caught between two thorn bushes, drenched from the downpour and cut from the brambles.

Freeing him, she cast furtive glances at the sky, waiting anxiously for the next wave to begin. As soon as the dragon was liberated from the vines, Martha advised him on her shelter, and offered him a spot with her. He graciously accepted, eager to escape the forest and rain.

"So, uh, where's your clan?" The charcoal-coated tundra asked hesitantly as the two made it to the stump, just as the next wave began.

"I don't have a clan," Martha answered concisely, shaking herself dry and settling back into her spot against the warped wood. The other dragon looked away, as if he understood, and waited to be asked about his own. When she didn't ask, he offered the information of his own accord.

"I don't have a clan either," he said, "hence why no one else helped me when I was... trapped." Martha cocked her head, looking him over and thinking about her previous clan. Maybe she could return tonight, and see Crabcake once more, before leaving her newest companion in his care. "My name is Absoluto," the dragon continued, breaking the silence and into her thoughts. "My last clan kicked me out, and I've been looking for a new one ever since. That was all but three dominances ago." Perfect. Martha was sure that Absoluto could make his home in Crabcake's lair, and he seemed as if he would like to join a clan anyway. She had the perfect excuse to say goodbye to her friend again, and then she would be on her way.

"My last clan would be willing to give you a home. I was not kicked out, I left in good standing, so they should be friendly." Absoluto looked startled that she had once been in a lair. Shrugging off his look, Martha realized how independent she must look. The new perspective was enlightening, and she almost regretted acknowledging her clan life, as she might have earned more respect without it.

But Absoluto seemed to respect her no less, and she forgot the notion as quickly as it occured to her. "As soon as this rain wave breaks-" Glancing out of the tree stump, she realized that the rain had ceased for the moment. "...Well, now we will leave; we should make it to the den by nightfall, assuming the rain doesn't come back to haunt us." Heaving herself to her paws, she shook the dust and wood chips from her pelt and trotted into the open. Absoluto followed bouncily, trailing her with a multitude of grateful comments and excited squeals.

Martha ignored him for the moment, slipping her travel packs over her wings to where they rested lightly between her two front legs. Crouching, she braced her hindlegs and leapt into the air, beating her wings as she ascended above the forest. Absoluto was quick to imitate and was soon beside her, flapping wildly, the storm air current knocking him off balance. As soon as he recovered, Martha turned to the east, leaving the tree stump and warped woods behind.

Conversation was scarce as the hours passed, each dragon breaking the silence only to further introductions and relay directions. It had been an hour since they last spoke, and the tundra felt it necessary to comment on the conditions.

"Seems another storm is upon us," he offered, trying to stir a conversation. Martha grunted in response and looked forward, disapproving of flying into the storm, but seeing no other option.

"The lair is only a couple hours away if we continue east, and unfortunately, our destination makes the rain unavoidable. As long as there is no lightening, we can continue through the rain in the air, otherwise, we might need to go on foot." Just as she concluded, both heard the faint rumble of thunder in the distance, confirming the notion of lightening. Grunting again, she added, "we'll land in an hour and then walk from there." Pointing out a cluster of green, bubbling ponds, she informed the tundra of where they would touch down.

Absoluto nodded gravely and put his head down against the wind.

In less than an hour, the wind had become unbearably strong, and the sky had darkened to an unnatural greenish-purple. The occasional burps of thunder had become more frequent and louder, enough to jostle the dragons from their thoughts. The ponds were only fifteen minutes away when the rain started to fall, lightly at first, and then harshly, slashing across their pelts and chilling them to the bone.

Suddenly, Martha dropped her altitude, calling out for Absoluto to follow, which he did quickly, aided by the abnormal wind. Blinded by water, the two struggled against the storm currents, diving quickly to the ground, staying low to avoid the worst of the wind. A surprisingly strong burst of air punched the dragons, whisking Absoluto higher where he met the tree branches with a loud crack. Martha turned around just in time to see him spinning in the air, trying to recover his position and wing-beat.

The wind picked up tenfold as they reached the ponds, clawing at the air with their wings in an attempt to reach the ground. As Martha landed, the current wrenched the ground away from her paws, flinging her into a tainted puddle. Gasping and spluttering, she jumped to her feet and raced to the nearest rocks she could, signaling to Absoluto, who had landed evenly. The dove between two massive boulders, forming a roof of solid rock, just as a bolt of lightening split the sky, echoed with a burst of thunder.

Huddled in the corner, the tundra and snapper looked at each other, realizing how silly and beaten they both looked, breaking into a raucous laughter that seemed out of place a moment later. Shaking, Absoluto padded closer to the entrance and lay down, resting his head on his furry paws. Martha followed and rested across from him, gazing outside. Absoluto's fur whipped in the wind, strands being chased across his face by the cool air, but he didn't seem to mind.

It was a moment before the cold hit, leaving Martha, in her furless state, shivering uncontrollably. Noticing this, Absoluto crawled closer, against Martha's disapproving stare, and pulled her into his mane. Though her grunts suggested her dislike, the snapper didn't move away, actually snuggling closer for warmth.

The rain had stopped when they awoke, and the faint rays of sunlight were just filtering over the horizon. Standing slowly, Absoluto untangled the snapper from his fur, shaking leaves and dust from his mane. His movement woke Martha, and she rose beside him, already slipping her packs over her head.

"We have an hour left if we fly," Martha commented, ignoring her hunger and hopping into the air. Absoluto followed, nodding, focused on getting to the lair although the growls of his stomach suggested his priorities lay elsewhere.

"If we hurry we can make it before the rest of the clan awake," Absoluto noted, adding, "if your clan is anything like mine was." Martha agreed, and they both headed east again.

It was just daybreak when they arrived at the lair entrance. Just as Absoluto had suggested, the rest of the clan was asleep, and they snuck in to where Martha's den used to be. Seeing as it was still empty, the slipped into the open room and fell asleep in the bedding, wrapped in each other's wings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Um, Crabcake, Martha is back..." Ray, one of the clan's coliseum fighters approached the noodle, pointing with his tail in the direction of the sleeping dragons. "We found her and another dragon, a tundra, curled up together in her room. Either she's back to stay or she's dropping off someone."

"Either work perfectly fine," Crabcake assured, heading towards their den. "I would love to see her stay, but if not, her friend is welcome too." Padding into their den, he prodded Martha with his tail, trying to wake her gently.

"Huh-wahhh?" she snorted, choking on the tundra's mane and startling herself into consciousness. "Ah, Crabcake!" She rose quickly, nodding respectfully to her friend. "I can explain; this is Absoluto, we're just friends-"

The tundra had awoken by this point as well. "Just friends?" he echoed, feigning hurt. Martha rounded on his, half in amusement and half in irritation.

"Yes," she confirmed, "just friends. I helped him escape from his prison... a thorn bush..." Adding good-naturedly, "it was a tough battle, but I just managed to persevere." Absoluto rolled his eyes but said nothing as she continued. "He doesn't have a lair, as his last clan kicked him out, so I thought he might find a home here? We would have come earlier, but we were caught in the storm."

Crabcake nodded understandingly as she relayed their adventure. Finally, when Martha was finished, he interjected. "Absoluto will always be welcome here. Maybe you will stay now that you have a male... friend..." he coughed at the last part, winking at the tundra. Martha blushed, conscious of how they had woken up together.

"Maybe I'll stay for a little while longer. This may yet become my permanent home, if you'll have me, that is," Martha answered, and thus continued to live in the lair.

Since then, she has remained loyal to her clan, and has become closer to Absoluto than any of the others. The lair can't imagine life without her now, and they doubt they'll ever have to live in that reality. At least, Crabcake hopes so.



"Hmm... I suppose we can try, but do not blame me for being apathetic. Sometimes I struggle to open towards feeling; I cannot help but feel vulnerable."